John-avert



(No Model;)

J. AVERY. MAIL Box.`

No. 605,837. -Patented JunefZl, 1898.

IOv

UNITED STATES PATENi Erica..

J OHlT AVERY, OF GALESBURG, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO.

` GEORGE-W- HUDSON, OF SAME PLACE.

MAIL-Box.

i SPEGIFICATIO forming' part of Letters Patent No. 605,837, dated June 21, 1898.

' Application filed June 15, 1897. o Serial No. 640,893. (No model.)

To all w'homfit may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN AVERY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Galesburg, in the county, of Knox and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Mail-Boxes, of which the following is a specification.l

My invention'relates to improvements in 1nail-boxes. I

The leading object of the invention is to provide a mail-box with av non-looking lid at its upper end, which lid can be opened to insert mail, which is then received on a hinged 'swinging plate that forms, when in its closed hinged-lid opening, as the tilting plate closes access to the lower compartment when the hinged lid is open, and the hinged lid Vand tilting plate being hinged to opposite sides of the box access cannot be vhad to the mail below the tilting plate when the hinged lid isV partly open. i

A further object of the i'nvention is to provide a visual signal or indicator which is operatively connected with the hinged lid and the sliding or vswinging door throughwhich the'mail-matter is removed from the deliverybox in such manner that when said hinged lid is opened for the receipt of mail and closed for the passage thereof to the delivery-compartment when said compartment is empty it exposes the signal to view, but when opened and closed to deliver mail to said compartment while it contains mail the signal will) not be afiected thereby, said signal not being again operatively connected with the hinged lid until the door through which the mail is taken from theV delivery compartment or box is opened.

To the end of carrying out these leading objects of my invention and also further objects thereof and which are hereinafter set forth it consists in certain novel features of construction and larrangement of parts, in novel 01'- ganization of parts, and in novel combinations'of parts, as Will be hereinafter fully described, and pointed out in the claims hereto appendedi Meehanism embodying the preferred constructive forms of and showing the mutual relationship and combination of par-ts formingv the subject-matter of my improvement is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which-- i Figurel is a side elevation, partly in sectional elevation, of a dual mail-box, in only one of which boxes my improvement is shown;

Big. 2, a side elevation of a single mail-box,

partly in sectional elevation,,showing the operating parts in different relative positions from those shownat Fig. 1;, Fig. 3, a side elevation, partly in sectional elevation, showing the Operating parts in different relative positions from those shown at Figs. 1 and 2 Fig. 4,'a sectional elevation in the line 4 4 in Fig. 1; Fig. 5, a perspective showing the signal or indicator exposed; Fig. 6,` a transverse sect-ional'plan in line 6 6 in Fig. 4:. The reference characters'herein used indicate, respectively, the same'parts in the different lfigures of the drawings.

At Fig. 1 two similar boxes 1 are shown united, while in the other figures but one box is shown. The boxes may be` constructed of wood or metal or any other suitable material and may be fixed in any suitable positions by cleats 2 or otherwise. The box 1 has alid 3, hinged at 4 to its inclined upper end, prefervably in vsuch manner that when closed, as at lid 3 is hinged, and a link-rod 6 is pivotally connected at one of its ends with one side of said plate and at its other end With the hinged, lid 3 in such manner that closing the lid 3 will swing the plate 5 downwardly to its open position, as shown at Figs. 1, 3, and 4:, and raising or opening the lid 3 will raise the plate 5 to its closed position, as shown at 2, in which closed position it dividesthe box 1 into an upper' or mail-rcceiving` eompartment 7 and a lower or mail-delivery compartment S. The signal in this instance consists of a colorcd figure 0,prcferably white, paintod on the outer surface of the box 1-in this instance within a easing 10, formed of a glass cover 11, held in place by theinturned [langcs on the cleats 12. rl`he swinging hood or signal-cover 18 is fixed at one end to a short rocking shaft lt, which is journaled in and extends through the side of the box land has fixed to and projecting from its inner end an arm 15. It will be evidont that without departure from the purview of my invention the swinging hood maybe colored to represent the plainly-visible signal and that a fixed part, beneath which it is slid, may represent the hood. One end of a chain 16 is secured to the end of the arm 15, and its other end is seeured to, in this instance, a sliding door 17, which may, however, be a swinging door or bottom part of the delivery-compartment S, if preferred. A short pin or lug 18 projects laterally from one side of the linkrod o' into the path of the swinging arm 15. A spring 19, Fig. 6, on the outer end part of the rock-shaft 1-1 tends to press the hood 13 into slight frictional contact with the box 1, wherebysaid hood is held in its horizontal position until moved therefrom, as hereinafter described.

A partition 20, Figs. and 6, separates the link-rod G, upper end of chain 1G., and lug 18 from the mail-receiving compartment 7.

Assuming that both compartments 7 and 8 are empty, the working parts will be in the relative positions shown at Fig. 1. Raising the lid 3 for the insertion of mail will therewith raise the plate 5, as shown at Fig. 2, for temporary receipt of such mail, and the lng 18, coming in contact with the arm 15, will swing the hood 13 into its horizontal position, and thus expose the visual signal Then closing the lid 3 will swing the plate 5 into its open position, (shown at Figs. 1, 3, zt, and 15,) and thereby discharge the mail-matter contained thereon and deliverit to the deliveryeompartment S. In closing the lid 3, as last described, the arm 15 and hood 13 will remain in the positions shown at Fig. i), as the lug 18 is carried away from the arm 15. In further or again raising the lid 3 for the admission of more mail and closing it again for the delivery thereof to the delivory-compartment S the lug 18 will not act on the arm 15, which remainsin its position, (shown at Fig. 2,) with the signal 9 oxposed to indicate to a mailcarrier or other person the presence of mail in the delivery-compartment Opening the door17 to the position shown at Fig. 3 for the removal of mail from the delivery-compartment S will take up the slack in the chain 10, and drawing down on the arm 15 will swing the hood 13 into its lower position, thereby coveringthe signal, to indicate no mail in the delivery-compartment. rl`he door17 being then closed will simply slacken the chain 10 and leave all of the working parts in the relative positions shown at Fig. 1 and. ready for operation again, as above described.

It will be observed that when the lid 3 is raised or opened the plate 5, being thereby closed, will cut off access by way of or through the compartment '7 to mail contained in the delivery-compartment 8, and f urther observed that the act of closing` the lid 3 always swings the plate 5 to its open position and dcliversv all mail contained thereon to the lower compartment 8, and further observed that the lid 3 and plate 5, being hinged to the box at opposite sides thereof, will prevent access to mail below the plate 5 on partly opening the lid 3.

Although I have speciiically describcd the construction and relative arrangement of the several parts of myimproved mail-box, yet I do not desire to be oonlined to the same, as such changes or modilications may be made as fall within the purview of my invcntion as its subject-matter is set forth in the claims hereto ap pended.

lIaving thus described my inVention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a mail-box, and in combination, a box, a top therefor hinged to one side of the box, a mail-recoiving plate hinged to the side of the box opposite to that to which the top is hinged and extending across and dividing the box when closed into an upper mail-recciving box and a lower mail-delivery box, and a direct link connection connccting said top and plate for moving one by the movementof the other.

2. In a mail-box, and in combination, abox, a hinged lid, a hinged mail-receiving plate dividing the box when closed, into an upper mail-receiving box and a lower mail-delivery box, a link operatively eonnecting said lid and plate, a signal, a swinging signal-hood, an arm projecting from said hood, and a lug on said link for aetuating said hood, substantially as described.

3. Ina-mail-box, and in combination, a box, a hinged lid, a hinged mail-reeeiving plate dividing the box when closed, into an upper mail-reeeiving box and a lower mail-delivery box, a link operatively eonneeting said lid and plate, a signal, a swinging signal-hood, an arm projecting from said hood, a door to the delivery-box, a chain connecting said (1001' and the arm projeeting from the signal-hood, and a lug projecting from said link, substantially as described.

4. In amail-box, and in combination, a box, a hinged lid therefor, a hinged mail-receiving plate within the box, a link operatively conneeting said lid and plate, a swinging signal-hood, means operated by said link-rod for swinging said hood in one direction upon the IOO IIO

- opening of the lid, a delivery-door, and a conneotion between said hood and delivery-door for swinging the hood in the other dix'eebion upon the opening of the delivery-door, substantially as desoribed. w

5. In a mailbox and ineombination, a box,

` a signal, a eceiving-door, movable means operated positively by the reeeiving-dooi` for diselosing the signal, a delivery-door, and means operatively oonneoting said vdeliverydoor and means Whereby opening the deliv- V ery-door Will obscure the signal, substantially as described.

6. In a mail-box, and in combination, a box, 

